Type 1 Font Parsing Remote Code Execution Vulnerability

For systems running supported versions of Windows 10 a successful attack could only result in code execution within an AppContainer sandbox context with limited privileges and capabilities.

For more information, see Mitigating font exploits with AppContainer.

There are several different workarounds in this section. Not all may apply to all networks.

Note: We do not recommend that IT administrators running Windows 10 implement the workarounds described below. ATMFD.DLL is not present in Windows 10 installations starting with Windows 10, version 1709. Newer versions do not have this DLL. See the Mitigation section for more information.

Disable the Preview Pane and Details Pane in Windows Explorer

Disabling the Preview and Details panes in Windows Explorer prevents the automatic display of OTF fonts in Windows Explorer. While this prevents malicious files from being viewed in Windows Explorer, it does not prevent a local, authenticated user from running a specially crafted program to exploit this vulnerability.

To disable these panes in Windows Server 2008, Windows 7, Windows Server 2008 R2, Windows Server 2012, Windows Server 2012 R2, and Windows 8.1, perform the following steps:

1. Open Windows Explorer, click Organize, and then click Layout.
2. Clear both the Details pane and Preview pane menu options.
3. Click Organize, and then click Folder and search options.
4. Click the View tab.
5. Under Advanced settings, check the Always show icons, never thumbnails box.
6. Close all open instances of Windows Explorer for the change to take effect.

To disable these panes in all supported client and server versions of Windows 10, perform the following steps:

1. Open Windows Explorer, click the View tab.
2. Clear both the Details pane and Preview pane menu options.
3. Click Options, and then click Change folder and search options.
4. Click the View tab.
5. Under Advanced settings, check the Always show icons, never thumbnails box.
6. Close all open instances of Windows Explorer for the change to take effect.

Impact of workaround.

Windows Explorer will not automatically display OTF fonts.

How to undo the workaround.

To re-enable the Preview and Details panes in Windows Explorer for Windows Server 2008, Windows 7, Windows Server 2008 R2, Windows Server 2012, Windows Server 2012 R2, and Windows 8.1:

1. Open Windows Explorer, click Organize, and then click Layout.
2. Select both the Details pane and Preview pane menu options.
3. Click Organize, and then click Folder and search options.
4. Click the View tab.
5. Under Advanced settings, clear the Always show icons, never thumbnails box.
6. Close all open instances of Windows Explorer for the change to take effect.

To re-enable the Preview and Details panes in Windows Explorer for all supported client and server versions of Windows 10, perform the following steps:

1. Open Windows Explorer, click the View tab.
2. Select both the Details pane and Preview pane menu options.
3. Click Options, and then click Change folder and search options.
4. Click the View tab.
5. Under Advanced settings, clear the Always show icons, never thumbnails box.
6. Close all open instances of Windows Explorer for the change to take effect.

Disable the WebClient service

Disabling the WebClient service helps protect affected systems from attempts to exploit this vulnerability by blocking the most likely remote attack vector through the Web Distributed Authoring and Versioning (WebDAV) client service. After applying this workaround it is still possible for remote attackers who successfully exploit this vulnerability to cause the system to run programs located on the targeted user's computer or the Local Area Network (LAN), but users will be prompted for confirmation before opening arbitrary programs from the Internet.

To disable the WebClient Service, perform the following steps:

1. Click Start, click Run (or press the Windows Key and R on the keyboard), type Services.msc and then click OK.
2. Right-click WebClient service and select Properties.
3. Change the Startup type to Disabled. If the service is running, click Stop.
4. Click OK and exit the management application.

Impact of workaround.

When the WebClient service is disabled, Web Distributed Authoring and Versioning (WebDAV) requests are not transmitted. In addition, any services that explicitly depend on the WebClient service will not start, and an error message will be logged in the System log. For example, WebDAV shares will be inaccessible from the client computer.

How to undo the workaround.

To re-enable the WebClient Service, perform the following steps:

1. Click Start, click Run (or press the Windows Key and R on the keyboard), type Services.msc and then click OK.
2. Right-click WebClient service and select Properties.
3. Change the Startup type to Automatic. If the service is not running, click Start.
4. Click OK and exit the management application.

DisableATMFD registry key using a managed deployment script

Please Note: This workaround works for Windows Server 2008, Windows 7, Windows Server 2008 R2, Windows Server 2012, Windows Server 2012 R2, and Windows 8.1. ATMFD.DLL is not present in Windows 10 installations starting with Windows 10, version 1709.

Note Using Registry Editor incorrectly can cause serious problems that may require you to reinstall your operating system. Microsoft cannot guarantee that problems resulting from the incorrect use of Registry Editor can be solved. Use Registry Editor at your own risk. For information about how to edit the registry, view the "Changing Keys And Values" Help topic in Registry Editor (Regedit.exe) or view the "Add and Delete Information in the Registry" and "Edit Registry Data" Help topics in Regedt32.exe.

1. Create a text file named ATMFD-disable.reg that contains the following text:

Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Windows]
"DisableATMFD"=dword:00000001

2. Run regedit.exe.
3. In Registry Editor, click the File menu and then click Import.
4. Navigate to and select the** ATMFD-disable.reg** file that you created in the first step. (Note If your file is not listed where you expect it to be, ensure that it has not been automatically given a .txt file extension, or change the dialog’s file extension parameters to All Files).
5. Click Open and then click OK to close Registry Editor.
6. Restart the system.

Impact of workaround

Applications that rely on embedded font technology will not display properly. Renaming ATMFD.DLL could cause certain applications to stop working properly if they use OpenType fonts. Microsoft Windows does not release any OpenType fonts natively. However, third-party applications could install them and they could be affected by this change.

How to undo the workaround.

1. Create a text file named ATMFD-enable.reg that contains the following text:

Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Windows]
"DisableATMFD"=dword:00000000

2. Run regedit.exe.
3. In Registry Editor, click the File menu and then click Import.
4. Navigate to and select the ATMFD-enable.reg file that you created in the first step. (Note If your file is not listed where you expect it to be, ensure that it has not been automatically given a .txt file extension, or change the dialog’s file extension parameters to All Files).
5. Click Open and then click OK to close Registry Editor.
6. Restart the system.

DisableATMFD registry key manually

Please Note: This workaround works for Windows Server 2008, Windows 7, Windows Server 2008 R2, Windows Server 2012, Windows Server 2012 R2, and Windows 8.1. ATMFD.DLL is not present in Windows 10 installations starting with Windows 10, version 1709. Newer versions do not have this DLL. See the Mitigation section for more information.

Note Using Registry Editor incorrectly can cause serious problems that may require you to reinstall your operating system. Microsoft cannot guarantee that problems resulting from the incorrect use of Registry Editor can be solved. Use Registry Editor at your own risk. For information about how to edit the registry, view the "Changing Keys And Values" Help topic in Registry Editor (Regedit.exe) or view the "Add and Delete Information in the Registry" and "Edit Registry Data" Help topics in Regedt32.exe.

1. Run regedit.exe as Administrator.
2. In Registry Editor, navigate to the following sub key (or create it) and set its DWORD value to 1: HKLM\Software\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Windows\DisableATMFD, DWORD = 1
3. Close Registry Editor and restart the system.

Impact of workaround

Applications that rely on embedded font technology will not display properly. Renaming ATMFD.DLL could cause certain applications to stop working properly if they use OpenType fonts. Microsoft Windows does not release any OpenType fonts natively. However, third-party applications could install them and they could be affected by this change.

How to undo the workaround.

1. Run regedit.exe as Administrator.
2. In Registry Editor, navigate to the following sub key and set its DWORD value to 0: HKLM\Software\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Windows\DisableATMFD, DWORD = 0
3. Close Registry Editor and restart the system.

Rename ATMFD.DLL

Please Note: This workaround works for Windows Server 2008, Windows 7, Windows Server 2008 R2, Windows Server 2012, Windows Server 2012 R2, and Windows 8.1. ATMFD.DLL is not present in Windows 10 installations starting with Windows 10, version 1709. Newer versions do not have this DLL. See the Mitigation section for more information.

For 32-bit systems:

1. Enter the following commands at an administrative command prompt:

 cd "%windir%\system32"
 takeown.exe /f atmfd.dll
 icacls.exe atmfd.dll /save atmfd.dll.acl
 icacls.exe atmfd.dll /grant Administrators:(F) 
 rename atmfd.dll x-atmfd.dll

2. Restart the system.

For 64-bit systems:

1. Enter the following commands at an administrative command prompt:

	cd "%windir%\system32"
	takeown.exe /f atmfd.dll
	icacls.exe atmfd.dll /save atmfd.dll.acl
	icacls.exe atmfd.dll /grant Administrators:(F) 
	rename atmfd.dll x-atmfd.dll
	cd "%windir%\syswow64"
	takeown.exe /f atmfd.dll
	icacls.exe atmfd.dll /save atmfd.dll.acl
	icacls.exe atmfd.dll /grant Administrators:(F) 
	rename atmfd.dll x-atmfd.dll

2. Restart the system.

Impact of workaround

Applications that rely on embedded font technology will not display properly. Renaming ATMFD.DLL could cause certain applications to stop working properly if they use OpenType fonts. Microsoft Windows does not release any OpenType fonts natively. However, third-party applications could install them and they could be affected by this change.

How to undo the workaround

For 32-bit systems:

1. Enter the following commands at an administrative command prompt:

	cd "%windir%\system32"
	rename x-atmfd.dll atmfd.dll
	icacls.exe atmfd.dll /setowner "NT SERVICE\TrustedInstaller"
	icacls.exe . /restore atmfd.dll.acl

2. Restart the system.

For 64-bit systems:

1. Enter the following commands at an administrative command prompt:

	cd "%windir%\system32"
	rename x-atmfd.dll atmfd.dll
	icacls.exe atmfd.dll /setowner "NT SERVICE\TrustedInstaller"
	icacls.exe . /restore atmfd.dll.acl
	cd "%windir%\syswow64"
	rename x-atmfd.dll atmfd.dll
	icacls.exe atmfd.dll /setowner "NT SERVICE\TrustedInstaller"
	icacls.exe . /restore atmfd.dll.acl

2. Restart the system.

Is there an update to address this vulnerability?

Yes, Microsoft has released the April security updates, which address this vulnerability. See CVE-2020-1020 for download links and more information.

Is Microsoft aware of attacks that attempt to leverage this vulnerability?

Yes, Microsoft is aware of limited, targeted attacks that attempt to leverage this vulnerability.

How would customers receive notification about this issue and updated information from Microsoft when published?

Customers who subscribe to Microsoft Technical Security Notifications will receive a notifications whenever new content is published in Microsoft’s Security Update Guide. Find more information about these notifications here: Technical Security Notifications.

Do I need an ESU license to receive the update for Windows 7, Windows Server 2008 and Windows Server 2008 R2 for this vulnerability?

Yes, to receive the security update for this vulnerability for Windows 7, Windows Server 2008, or Windows Server 2008 R2 you must have an ESU license. See 4522133 for more information.

Why is this update not being released for all Windows 7 customers?

Windows 7 reached end of support on January 14, 2020. For more information on Microsoft lifecycle policies, please visit Life Cycle.

Is the Outlook Preview Pane an attack vector for this vulnerability?

No, the Outlook Preview Pane is NOT an attack vector for this vulnerability

Is the Windows Explorer Preview Pane an attack vector for this vulnerability?

Yes, the Windows Explorer Preview Pane is an attack vector for this vulnerability

Is Enhanced Security Configuration, which is on by default on Windows Servers, a mitigation for this vulnerability?

No, Enhanced Security Configuration does not mitigate this vulnerability.